Saturday, March 15, 2008

No Time for Your Wall. Sorry




I not sure what the photographer intended, but the two idiots chosen to illustrate the Sun's story on Facebook today were perfect.




I don't use facebook or any of its millions of clones. I won't answer messages on my wall, your wall or the Wall Centre's wall.




Want to email me or MSN message me, fine. I'm yours, pal.




But I will not give an extra click to be your totally sworn friend for life on systems that have been devised for 10 year olds.




The foto on page A6 (above) shows two of the goofiest, dumbest looking geeks of all time. They are poster children for this nonsense.




Oddly, the article is titled, "Getting Close and Personal."




This is exactly what Facebook is NOT.




It is an avoidance of close and personal.




Close and personal happens when the other person is right in front of you and you can smell, see, taste, reach and touch.




Internet hook-ups are about NARRATIVE, about creating a story line, one in which you may in fact totally believe is who you are, but they are light years from anything resembling the truth or companionship or, lord save us, love.

2 comments:

Robert W. said...

Excellent posting, David! You hit several chords with me!

First off, where I disagree with you is that I have no problem with social networking sites providing a medium to introduce people together, for they provide a way for 2 people to meet who otherwise would never run into each other. That's a good thing.

But where such technology irks me is when it takes over people's lives, much like a drug addiction. Your comment about technology devised for 10 year olds was absolutely perfect!!

Where things have devolved to is that many people - seemingly intelligent people - are spending most of their time every day on such social networks, sending mindless short messages to each other. This same mentality is also present in those who are constantly text messaging with their cel phones and Blackberries and who are having constant inane cel phone conversations.

I've seen a growing number of couples walking along, at a coffee shop, or at a restaurant who are technically with each other but completely absorbed with their little electronic devices so as to be apart from each other. I wonder if they're also having virtual orgasms?

When I meet a new woman - through whatever means - one of the first things I look for is whether she has been infected with this A.D.D. Technology disease. If she has, then there's just one word in my mind: "Next!"

Unknown said...

"other person is right in front of you and you can smell, see, taste, reach and touch."

Smell? Not so sure I want to do that.

See? Sometimes.

Taste? TASTE? Gawd you're weird.

Reach? Acceptable

Touch? With a 10 foot pole.

Wow. you're definition of close and personal are a little too close and personal for me.

Talk to you soon Old Guy.